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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
Introduction: One third of the Book of Genesis is given to the life of one man. The character of Joseph is one of the most in teresting and instructive in the whole Bible. He is the most remarkable personal type of Christ in the whole Word of God. After Jacob separated from Esau, he jour- EXPOSITION neyed to Shechem and dug a well known T. C. Horton ag .“Jacob’s well” referred to in the fourth chapter of John. From there he journeyed to Bethel— the place of the altar— and then on to Bethlehem. Here Benjamin was born and Rachel died. Jacob finally settled in Hebron, 20 miles south of Jerusa lem, where Isaac was living and where he subsequently died at the age of 168. Jacob was comfortably settled in Canaan. He was a real sheik and had flocks and herds, servants and slaves. This was the best part of Jacob’s life. (1) JOSEPH IN THE PIT, Ch. 37 “And they took him and cast him into a pit,” v. 24. Joseph wa3 the favorite son of Jacob. He had more of Rachel’s characteristics and probably entered more into sympathy with Jacob’s matured experience. From Isaac no doubt Joseph heard the story of Abraham’s offering on Mount Moriah, and from Jacob he heard the story of his dream at Betkel and his conflict at Peniel. Joseph’s character is ideal, but not perfect. There is but one perfect character^Jesus Christ. We must view Joseph in the light of the age in which he lived. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all differed. The different stages in a human life are interesting. Some never get beyond faith. Few enjoy the sense of son- ship. Fewer still know the joy of service, and fewest of all know the glory of tribulation. Let us look at some of the characteristics of Joseph: He was spiritually-minded, growing out of his close con tact and fellowship with Jacob in his old age, and by reason of the hatred of his brothers. He knew God— the sum of all knowledge. His faith was simple— a gift that made him great. (Psa. 18:35 ). He was faithful to trust; he could be relied upon. (1 Cor. 4 :2 ). He was noble-hearted; nothing small about him. He had the courage of conviction; immovable from the path of rectitude. Knowing the hatred of his brethren, he never stopped until he found them. He had executive ability, manifested in every step of his life until he was ruler of affairs in Egypt. He was self-reliant; believing in God’s call, he never hesitated. These characteristics should be manifested in every true believer and follower of our Lord. Joseph was in training for God’s service. God must have men, but they must be trained, and God’s methods differ from men’s methods. Joseph’s dreams were not nightmares, but visions. There were no written messages from God, but He frequently im parted His purposes through dreams. The Bible is full of illustrations of this. No man can be bigger than the vision he has, and Jo seph’s vision was large and lofty because it was God-given. Men of vision are men who venture and accomplish. Christians need to see the invisible and make it real. (Heb. 11:27) “For he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” Abraham saw the day of Christ and so did Moses. Peter had a vision of a sheet let down from heaven, and Paul saw the third heaven. The mole has no vision, and the world is full of moles. The eagle sees the dome of heaven.
ELEMENTARY Kate H. Hans
When Jacob and his uncle parted, Jacob went his way in peace for awhile. God sent his angels to meet him as an assurance that he was being taken care of by God. It seem ed a hard thing for him to un derstand. We are like Jacob, and can trust our loved ones, but we find it hard to trust God. is brother Esau, and it worried
him, for he knew Esau was mad at him. He soon found out Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men, and he feared a fight. He divided his family and company into two bands, saying, “If Esau kills the one band, the other can escape.” Then he prayed, which he should have done first. In stead of fully trusting God then, he made up three com panies of servants with some of his cattle, sending them to meet Esau, one after the other, telling them to say they had the cattle as presents for him from his brother Jacob, so that he might win Esau, That night Jacob was left alone, and God decided to teach him a lesson. God came to Jacob and wrestled with him, to teach him that all he could do to satisfy Esau would amount to nothing, unless God did it. Jacob needed to learn that God was the one to look to, and pot to his own planning. He must learn that God kept His word, and must be trusted. God had sent him back to his home land and would take care of him, as He had promised. It was a hard night for Jacob. He had never had any one wrestle with him before. All night the fight lasted, and it was not until almost morning, when God put Jacob’s thigh out of joint, that he realized that it was God who was wrestling with him. Testing him, God said, “Let Me go.” Jacob said, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.” That was what God wanted to hear him say. God then blessed Jacob, and changed his name to “Israel,” which means that God had heard his prayer. From that day, Jacob was a different man, trusting God more fully. He realized God was taking care of him, and when he met Esau, he Tound that Esau was no longer his enemy, but his friend, for God had made him so. While Jacob did not become a perfect man all at once, he certainly tried to trust God more and more. It took a great deal of patience on God’s part to make Jacob trust Him, just as it takes patience on God’s part to make us trust Him fully, and there is less excuse for us, as we have Jesus to help us, and Jacob did not know Jesus as we do. Memory Verse: “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” Ps. 37:5.
DECEMBER 30, 1923 JOSEPH HATED AND REJECTED Genesis, Chapters 37, 39, 40
Golden Text: “But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” Gen. 39:21. Outline: . . . (1) Joseph in the Pit, Ch. 37. (2) Joseph in Potiphar’s House, Ch. 39. (3 ) Joseph in Prison, Ch. 40.
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